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@valmaxv

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Schwerin, in northern Germany, was the residence of the dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. It is now the state capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

In 2024, Schwerin's Residence Ensemble was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The designation recognises not just the castle, but a larger group of historic buildings, gardens and waterways that tell the story of this 19th-century ducal capital.

The castle remains the city's most recognizable landmark, and our press tour took us beyond the usual castle museum visit. The vivid blue, star-studded ceiling of the castle church and the throne room were highlights. We had a look inside the circular parliamentary chamber, where the state parliament meets and visited the roof.

Beyond the castle, Schwerin Cathedral's towering Gothic architecture offers a striking contrast, while the fountain beside Pfaffenteich provides a quieter view of the city.

Thank you Schwerin's Tourist Information team for arranging this special visit!

@visit.schwerin @metropolregion_hamburg @germanytourism @traverseevents #traverse26 #schwerin #unesco taken in Schwerin by @valmaxv

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a day ago

Anyone a miniature railway lover? We have been to the most amazing place. Miniatur Wunderland has a set up over 3 floors of a building and it continues to grow.

The detail is incredible. We were there for 3 hours and likely could have spent more time.

So much fun!

#miniturerailway #hamburg #germany taken in Miniatur Wunderland, Hamburg Germany by @valmaxv

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2 days ago

Our 2-day Copenhagen visit took us to a number of the city's iconic locations. These are just a few. One of the most recognizable is Nyhavn, with its brightly painted buildings and boats.

At Christiansborg Palace, a statue of King Christian IX stands in the historic riding grounds. Inside the palace was a contemporary surprise. 17 colourful tapestries, created by Danish artist Bjørn Nørgaard, adorn the Great Hall’s walls. Using modern designs, they tell a thousand years of Danish history. They were commissioned as a 50th-birthday gift for Queen Margrethe II. Truly stunning!

Two crowns associated with Christian V are displayed with the rest of the royal family’s crown jewels at Rosenborg Castle.

Tivoli Gardens was decorated for Halloween. Our nighttime visit and a bubbling cauldron added a little fun.

After 2 amazing days in Copenhagen, our next stop is Hamburg, Germany!

#copenhagen #denmark taken in Copenhagen, Dennmark by @valmaxv

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6 days ago

Our final day exploring Denmark by car took us to three places that preserve different parts of the country's royal history.

At Roskilde Cathedral, generations of Danish monarchs rest in elaborate tombs and burial chapels. Among them are Christian IV and his first wife, Anna Cathrine, as well as the later king Frederik V. The cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

At Frederiksborg Castle, we found another connection to Christian IV in the remarkable Compenius organ, built in 1610 and presented to the king in 1617. More than 400 years later, it remains a rare link to the music of the Danish royal court.

16th-century Kronborg Castle served a different purpose. Built to guard the Øresund strait and control the vital shipping route between the North Sea and the Baltic, its fortifications were strengthened over the centuries. Its association with Shakespeare's "Hamlet" later gave it a place in world literature and it has also been recognized by UNESCO.

These historic places each gave us a different perspective on Denmark's regal past.

#roskildecathedral #frederiksborgcastle #kronborgcastle taken in Roskilde, Denmark by @valmaxv

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8 days ago

Our second visit to Aarhus took us beyond the city centre before returning to explore more of its art scene

The Endless Bridge curves out over the water, offering a different perspective on the coast. At the nearby deer park, one curious resident gave us a perfect camera pose.

Back in the city, we finally explored ARoS Aarhus Art Museum beyond its exterior. Olafur Eliasson’s Your rainbow panorama surrounds visitors with coloured glass and changing views across the city. The museum’s newest permanent installation, James Turrell’s As Seen Below – The Dome, uses light and colour to transform a vast domed space, creating an experience that is quite different from viewing art on a gallery wall.

We also encountered Ron Mueck’s Couple Under an Umbrella. Twice life-size and remarkably lifelike, this sculpture of an older couple at the beach was one of the works that stayed with us.

We definitely found lots to do on our second day in Aarhus!

#aarhus #arosaarhusartmuseum #danishroadtrip taken in Aarhus, Denmark by @valmaxv

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9 days ago

We started our 4th day in Silkeborg, where the autumn colours around the harbour made a beautiful backdrop. We were here to visit the museum and see Tollund Man, a remarkably preserved body discovered in a nearby peat bog in 1950. He lived about 2,400 years ago, during the Iron Age.

Then we continued to Viborg Cathedral, where the plain exterior gave us little hint of what was inside. The walls and ceiling are covered with paintings by Joakim Skovgaard and his assistants, created in the early 1900s and recently restored. The colourful scenes transform the interior into something we didn't expect to find.

These two very different stops made the day memorable!

#tollundman #viborgcathedral #danishroadtrip taken in Silkeborg, Denmark by @valmaxv

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11 days ago

We started Day 3 in Ribe, Denmark’s oldest town, where the riverfront still has the feel of a historic trading town. Ribe Cathedral dates back to the 12th century and is one of the town’s most impressive landmarks.

Inside, we found colourful frescoes, mosaics and stained glass created by Danish artist Carl-Henning Pedersen in the 1980s. What a striking contrast to the medieval cathedral.

From there, we made a quick stop at Lego House in Billund before continuing to Jelling, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site’s two large burial mounds, church and rune stones mark an important period in the formation of the Danish kingdom and the transition from Norse paganism to Christianity.

It was another excellent day of Danish history, with a little Lego in the middle.

#ribe #jelling #danishroadtrip taken in Ribe, Denmark by @valmaxv

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12 days ago

On our second day in Denmark we started the day in the Viking Age and ended in an 18th-century religious community where the church is still active today.

At the Viking Museum Ladby, we saw Denmark's only known Viking ship burial, dating to about 925 AD. The full-size reconstruction shows how the ship may have looked at the time of its burial, which included 11 horses and 4 dogs along with the Ladby King. Nearby, the original site preserves the remains of the actual ship, including thousands of iron rivets.

We ended the day in Christiansfeld, founded in 1773 by the Moravian Church. The community structure was deliberately planned, with the central square and surrounding buildings designed as part of that plan and reflecting the values of the religious community. Today, Christiansfeld is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best-preserved Moravian settlements in Europe.

Two very different pieces of Danish history, and both were worth seeing.

#ladby #christiansfeld #danishroadtrip taken in Vikingemuseet Ladby by @valmaxv

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13 days ago

We’re on the road in Denmark now.

Our first day took us back to the Viking Age.

Borgring and Trelleborg are two of five Danish ring fortresses built around 980 under King Harald Bluetooth. Their precise circular designs reveal a remarkably organised approach to military architecture more than 1,000 years ago. All five fortresses became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023.

The scale of the site is best seen from the air.

#trelleborg #denmark #danishroadtrip taken in Trelleborg by @valmaxv

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14 days ago

The final port of call on our Baltic cruise was Stockholm. We were docked for 2 days allowing us to explore Stockholm's wide variety of excellent museums.

The Vasa Museum was a highlight. Seeing the enormous 17th-century warship up close it is hard to believe it was under water for 333 years before it was raised and reassembled here.

At Vrak, the Museum of Wrecks, hologram displays helped us see some of Sweden's Baltic Sea archaeological sites.

The Viking Museum took us further back in time, while the Nordic Museum offered a glimpse into Swedish culture over time.

And, of course, no visit to Stockholm would be complete without a little ABBA! The immersive museum tells their story from the beginning.

The Royal Palace, including the magnificent Karl XI Gallery, was a great addition to our museum explorations.

We thoroughly enjoyed our Stockholm visit and 2 days was really not enough. The city has so much to offer.

We thoroughly enjoyed this Baltic Sea cruise but it's time to return to Copenhagen and start the next phase of our European trip!

#stockholm #sweden #balticcruise taken in Stockholm, Sweden by @valmaxv

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15 days ago

We started our visit to Tallinn's UNESCO-recognized Old Town in the historic Upper Town. It is connected to the medieval Lower Town by narrow streets and steep lanes. As we walked downhill, the city became increasingly impressive with well-preserved medieval walls, towers and streets lined with interesting buildings.

We followed the town walls before tackling the 258 steps to the top of St. Olav's Tower. The view over Tallinn's red-roofed Old Town and its fortifications was the perfect finish to a great walk through the city.

What a great city!

#tallinnestonia #unesco #balticcruise taken in Tallinn Old Town by @valmaxv

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18 days ago

Our visit to Helsinki turned into an architectural walking tour, whether we planned it that way or not. Many museums and churches were closed for the day, so we spent much of our time seeing the city from the outside.

We started with Helsinki Cathedral, completed in 1852, before moving to the Central Railway Station. Its distinctive clock tower has watched over the city since 1919.

Kiasma brought us into much more recent architecture. The contemporary art museum opened in 1998.

The Rock Church was one of the few interiors we could see, and its design is certainly memorable, carved directly into solid rock. We also stopped at the Sibelius Monument, a 1967 sculpture made from more than 600 steel pipes.

We finished by walking past the historic Presidential Palace, originally built in 1820, on our way to Uspenski Cathedral. Completed in 1868 and built in the Russian Orthodox tradition, its red brick and golden domes made a striking contrast to the white cathedral where we started.

While we didn't go inside much, thanks Helsinki for giving us plenty to see.

#helsinki #finland #balticcruise taken in Helsinki Finland by @valmaxv

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19 days ago